Testing apparatus for flash-lights.



6. A. LEY.

TESTING APPARATUS FOR FLAS H LIGHTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJI' 1915.

WITNESSES."

II! was I Pzitented Feb. 20, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR H A TTORNEVS G. A. LEY.

TESTING APPARATUS FOR FLASH LIGHTS.

Patented Feb. 20, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SNEET 2 APPLICATION FILED AUGJI. I915,

4 TTORNEVS JMM IS ca nan-Luna minimum. a. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ALBERT LEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TESTING APPARATUS FOR FLASH-LIGHTS.

Application filed August 27, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ALBERT LEY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented an Improvement in Testing Apparatus for Flash- Lights, ofwhich the following is a speci- .fication.

This invention is an improvement in test ing mechanism, and hasparticular reference to a device associated with a flash light apparatusfor testing the ignition system thereof.

It is desirable, when. employing flashlight apparatus, to first test theignition device to assure the proper burning of the flash powder.

Testing apparatus of this character has been designed in which anelectrically operated buzzer is used in connection. with a fuse todetermine whether the latter is in proper position for ignition. Suchapparatus has been found costly and inefficient in adequately performingits functions.

In order to overcome these objections the present invention has beendesigned and has for one of its objects to provide a testing mechanismwhich is of a simple and com pact nature and which is positive inoperation.

Another object is to provide an electric circuit in which there isinterposed, among other elements, a lamp and a pneumatically operatedcontact member for closing said circuit when it is desired to both testthe ignition. fuse and ignite the flash powder.

A further object is the provision of a lamp of considerable greaterresistance than the igniting fuse so that only as much current will passthrough the fuse as the lamp will consume, which will result in thelight ing of the lamp, when the fuse is properly adjusted, withoutmaking the latter hot enough to ignite the flash powder, thus making itpossible and safe to test the apparatus after the powder has been placedon the fuse.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety ofmechanical expressions, one of which, for the purpose of illustratingthe invention, is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a front elevation of the testing device showing the same inconnection with the pan for holding the flash powder,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1917.

Serial No. 47,668.

3 is a section on the line 33 of Fi Fig.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the flash powder pan showing theconnecting fuse in position.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the fuse used in connection with the invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of the electrical circuit employedin connection with the invention.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 10indicates a portion of the standard of a flash light apparatus to whichis connected. in any suitable manner the flash powder pan or holder 11having a small opening 12 therein for a purpose which will appear in thecourse of the description. I

The testing device which comprises one of the essential features of thisinvention includes an elongated preferably rectangular casing 13 havinga removable front 14 provided with an opening 15 through which the lamp16 mounted in the casing is visible. This casing is attached to thestandard 10, as best illustrated in Fig. 3, and is provided interiorlythereof with a partition 17 below which the battery 18 is mounted.

One terminal of the battery 18 is connected through the contact member19, binding post 20, and wire 21 to the stationary contact member 23 ofthe detachable plug switch 22 mounted. upon the top of the casing 13. Awire 24 connects the movable contact member 25 of the switch to one ofthe binding posts 26 of the lamp 16. The other binding post 27 of saidlamp is connected by the wire 28 with the binding post 29 mounted on theoutside of the casing 13. The other binding post 30 on the outside ofthe casing has one end of the wire 31 connected thereto the other end ofwhich is secured to the wire 24 leading from the movable contact member25 to the lamp terminal 26. A switch 32 is pivoted to the casing at thebinding pos' 33 and is adapted to con.- tact with either of the bindingposts 29 and 30 for throwing the lamp 16 in and out of the circuit. Ashort wire 35 connects the binding post 33 with another binding post 36,the latter being in turn connected by a wire 37 to one of the bindingposts 38 of the fuse which is generally indicated by the numeral 39. Theother binding post 40 of the fuse is connected to the post 41 by a wire42, said post 41 being in turn connected by a wire 4:3 with the otherterminal of the battery 18 thus completing the circuit.

The fuse used in connection with this invention comprises a base ithaving a plurality of short bars extending transversely thereacross andextending longitudinally of the base and joining the bars 15 is a smallwire 16 which gives the fuse a lower resistance than that of the lamp16.

Secured to the bottom of the flash powder holder 11 and separatedtherefrom by the insulation 47 are a pair of substantially Em-shapedspring contact members the short arms of which extend on either side ofthe opening 12 in the holder 11., the insulation 17 being also providedwith a small opening 49 adapted to register with the opening 12 so thatpowder in the opening 12 will drop through said opening and come incontact with the wire 46 of the fuse, the latter being inserted betweenthe short arms of the contact members -18 and the insulation 4-7 so thatadjacent bars 15 will be in contact with said short arms as bestillustrated in Fig. l. After the length of the wire 16 between the firsttwo bars 15 has been burned in order to ignite the flash powder theentire fuse may be moved down in order to form a contact between thespring contacts 18 and the second bar of the first-named pair of barsand the next succeeding bar.

A device for pneumatically closing the contacts 28 and 25 is providedand consists of an expansible element connected to a bulb -31 by arubber tube 52 so that when said bulb is compressed the element 50 willbe caused to expand and close the contacts 23 and 25. The apparatus isnow in position either for a test or for the ignition of the flashpowder.

Should a test be desired the switch 82 is thrown to the position shownin Fig. 6 when the current will pass through the contacts 23 and 25 andlamp 16 to the fuse 39, said current passing through that portion of thewire 416 between the bars 4-5 which are in engagement with the springcontacts 1-8 and thence back to the other terminal of the battery 18.Since the resistance of the lamp is much higher than that of the fuseand as only as much current can pass through the fuse as the lamp willconsume, the latter will light without causing the fuse to ignite theflash powder. Therefore when the switch 32 is thrown to the positiondescribed if the lamp 16 is lighted it will be indicated that theapparatus is in condition for igniting the flash powder. The switch 32is then thrown to contact with the terminal 30 when the lamp 16 will beout out of the circuit and the current pass diin one of saidcompartments and connected to a source of current in the othercompartment, a fuse also connected to said source of current, stationaryand movabl contact .members mounted on said casing, and a pneumaticallyoperated means having a portion interposed. between said contact membersand operated for closing the circuit produced by said source of current,througl'i said lamp and fuse.

2. In a flashlight apparatus, a flash powder holder having an openingtherein, contact members carried by said holder and having portionsthereof extending on either side of said opening, an insulating elementinterposed between said contact members and said holder, and also havingan opening adapted to register with the opening in said. holder, and afuse adapted to be mounted between said contact members and saidinsulating element whereby the flash powder will pass through saidregistering openings and be ignited by contact with said fuse.

3. The combination with a flashlight ap paratus; of a testing devicetherefor, including a casing having compartments, a lamp in one of saidcompartments and connected to source of current in the othercompartment, a fuse also connected to said source of current, stationaryand movable contact members mounted on said casing, and means includingan expansible element for operating said contact members to close thecircuit produced by said source of current.

4. In a flashlight apparatus, a flash powder holder having an openingtherein, an insulating element associated with said holder andalso'having an opening registering with the first named opening, contactmembers carried by said holder, and fuse mounted between said contactmembers and said insulating element whereby to ignite the powder passingthrough said'registering openings.

GEOB-Glil ALBERT LE3".

ll itnessesz GEORGE Binrronrr, 'l. C. JAMES.

topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Eatents, "Washington, It. W

